Guard for personal items



Dec. 10, 1968 H A. SPALDING 3,414,945

GUARD FOR PERSONAL ITEMS 7 Filed May 9, 1967 INVENTOR HENRY A. SPALDING FIGS ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,414,945 GUARD FOR PERSONAL ITEMS Henry A. Spalding, 662 Broadway St., Hazard, Ky. 41701 Filed May 9, 1967, Ser. No. 637,256 2 Claims. (Cl. 24-905) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A protective guard for cuff links comprising an elongated chain having a removable spring biased snap fastener secured to one end thereof and a pin receiving means secured to the other end thereof so that a pin may be mserted through the sleeve of a shirt to engage the pin receiving means and the snap fastener may encircle a bar of the cuff link to provide protection against accidental loss or theft. The pin receiving means may be replaced with a safety pin having a loop in the lever arm thereof for securing to the chain.

The present invention relates to a protective device for preventing personal items, such as jewelry, from be ng stolen or lost. The invention is described in connection with its application to a cufi link and comprises a chain with a loop-type fastener affixed to one end for connection to the cuff link and a puncture pin snap-in device for connection to the wearing apparel, preferably in an inaccessible position to strangers. The pin snap-in fastener is of the type which requires access to both sides of the wearing apparel to remove it. The receiver portion of the fastener is placed inside the clothing and the pin pierces the clothing to be received by a spring catch. The spring catch can only be tripped through access to the receiver. By using a longer chain, the receiver and pin may be located remotely from the jewelry, thereby assuring its protection. Also, the chain may extend from its inside location to the cuff link via the cuff link hole.

In another embodiment of the invention, the fastening means comprises a modified safety pin by which the chain is fastened to the inside of the wearing apparel. In this embodiment, the pin is usually fastened inside the apparel prior to donning same and the chain may extend through the cuff link hole or about the end of the sleeve to the cuff link. This device may also be entirely hidden with the exception of a short length of the pin lever arm as the pin grips the cuff or sleeve from the inside.

The primary object of the invention is to safeguard jewelry, such as cuff links, from accidental loss or theft.

The invention will be better understood from a reading of the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the attached drawing wherein:

FIG. 1 is a view in perspective of a shirt cuff and the invention applied to a cuff link;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the invention and cufflink, per se;

FIG. 3 shows the second embodiment of the invention applied to a cuff; and

FIG. 4 is a view in section of the piercing means of the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2.

In FIG. 1, the shirt cuff is shown in dotted outline at 11 and the cuff link at 13. Cuff link 13 is connected to its fastener 15 by, e.g., bars 17. The invention comprises the chain 19 having a snap ring fastener 21, of conventional character, with a protrusion 23 for opening the same to interlink one of the bars 17 with the piercing means for this embodiment being shown as the receiver 25 and pin 27. Chain 19 is connected to receiver 25 and the pin 27 pierces the cuff link 11 or the shirt sleeve 29 to be retained in the receiver 25. As may be seen from FIG. 1,

the receiver 25 and pin 27 may be located adjacent the edge of cuff 11 (preferably with the receiver inside) 0: remotely therefrom as shown by receiver 25' and pin 27 by employing a longer chain 19. The latter position i: preferred where diamond jewelry and the like is worn l( avoid theft. Also, it serves to obscure the guard when em ployed internally with chain 19 passing out through tht cuff link hole 18 to grip link 17 by snapping fastener 21 Snap rings 21 and 21 include internal springs (not shown} which are depressed by protrusion 23 to open the ring: and which return the rings to closed position when pro trusion 23 is released.

In FIG. 4 the structure of receiver 25 may be seer to include a protective or decorative covering 31 of platec tin or the like which is crimped to an upper race 33 am a lower race 35. An operating rod 41 carries an enlarger cylindrical head 43 with two or more holes for receiving ball bearings 45. The rod 41 terminates at its lower 61K in a decorative ball 47 and release plate 49 fixed thereto A spiral spring 51 is compressed between head 43 and lht bottom of the lower race 35. Three of these members in clude holes for the pin 27, the upper hole being 61 it cover 31, the next hole 63 in upper race 33 and the thirc hole being 65 in head 43.

The head 43 conforms to the cylindrical inner race 01 member 33 with the balls fairly tightly pressing into the hole 65. Thus, when the pin 27 is inserted and locked in position it depresses rod 41 against spring 51 a short distance to dislodge the balls sufficiently so as to permit entry of pin 27 but snugly to receive the pin 27 with the balls remaining in the upper race 33.

To unlock the pin 27, the receiver 25 is held and the trigger or plate 49 depressed permitting the balls to enter the larger race 35 and free the pin. However, the balls do not escape from the holes in the cylindrical head 43 and the spring 51 returns the head 43 to raceway 33 f0] receiving pin 27 again. In this manner, the guard may be readily mounted to and detached from cuff 11 or sleeve 29. This embodiment comprises the preferred invention.

In FIG. 3, the second embodiment of the invention is shown in the modified form of a safety pin 71 having a lever arm 73 with a loop 75 therein. The loop 77 01 chain 79 is permanently secured to loop 75 of pin 7] and the snap fastener 81, connected to the other end of chain 79, grips the cuff link 13 in the manner previously described. The shirt sleeve or cuff 91 has 'a cuff link hole 93 through which the chain 79 may extend to grip the end? link.

The portion of lever arm 73 to the left of loop 75 in FIG. 3 may be longer than shown, but it is preferably relatively short as it is the only visible portion of the guard, the safety pin being inserted inside the sleeve or cuff 91 with only its tip end piercing the sleeve or interlooping a short space of the sleeve before it is received in head 93.

Other types of cuff links and personal jewelry can also be gripped for safeguarding. Cuff links having single bars rather than double bars are connected in the same manner. Expensive jewelry may already have special loops for receiving the guard, or such loops may be soldered thereto.

While the invention has been shown and described in connection with its application to a cuff link, it will nevertheless occur to others skilled in the art that further modifications and other uses may be made within the principles of the teaching herein and thus it is intended that the invention be limited only by the scope of the appended claims wherein:

What is claimed is:

1. A protective guard for connecting a cuff link to a shirt sleeve comprising in combination, a chain; a renovable spring biased snap fastener for attachment to 181d cufi? link by encircling a bar thereof, said removable :pring biased snap fastener being secured to one end )f said chain; pin receiving means secured to the other 2nd of said chain and including a casing having an aperure at both ends thereof, and an operating rod inserted hrough the aperture at one end of said casing, said 0p :rating rod having a cylindrical head carrying ball bearngs; and a pin having an elongated pointed shaft and 1 head of greater diameter than said shaft, said pin Jeing adapted to pierce said shirt sleeve and be inserted nto the aperture at the other end of said casing where ;aid pin is gripped by said ball bearings.

2. A protective guard for connecting a cuff link to a lllllt sleeve comprising in combination, a chain; a renovable spring biased snap fastener for attachment to :aid cufi link by encircling a bar thereof, said removable UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,189,467 7/1916 Miller 2490.5 1,293,948 2/1919 Seif 2490.5 1,598,576 8/1926 Habenicht 24102 1,784,482 12/1930 Crawford.

1,810,014 6/1931 Hill.

2,621,386 12/1952 Bowder 24-155.1

DONALD A. GRIFFIN, Primary Examiner. 

